A Crulloyd Through the Eyes of Lloyd
by freakyanimegal
Summary: For once, he thought he could relax. The world was saved, Cruxis destroyed... Then he woke up in Welgaia, apparently he's in Cruxis, Kratos acts like an actual Dad and the Sages are in the Desians... What did the universe have against him relaxing? hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**Behold! Another Crulloyd! But this one has- as before- a rather interesting little twist I'm sure you'll find amusing…**

**Come now, it wouldn't be me if there wasn't some kind of twist! XD**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Lloyd Irving was asleep.

With this, for that moment, all was right with the world. Truly, at this point, because the world was in fact singular again. Yes, the red-clad warrior and his friends had successfully brought about the unification of the worlds, so the teen was taking a well-deserved rest. His dreams were peaceful, and he was completely relaxed. Everything was right now; he could finally enjoy the peace of mind that had so long eluded them.

Then he opened his eyes.

And they opened even wider.

"What the-?"

And his peace was completely shattered.

The teen jerked upright so fast his head heart for a second, but he ignored that in turn for frantically looking around to take in his surroundings. He wasn't at the inn; he wasn't in the big room with the beds lined against the wall. His friends weren't there; he was all by himself in a room plenty large in itself. It wasn't the size that had shocked him; however, it was the room's general appearance. It looked like a room in Welgaia-

The color bled from his face.

It _was _a room in Welgaia.

"W- What the-?" he started, looking around.

A bit of hair fell into his eye and he huffed in frustration, sweeping it aside-

Wait.

His hair wasn't that long…

"Huh-?" he said, pulling the lock out so he could see it better.

And his hair wasn't that auburn shade. It was supposed to be much lighter-

And his hand was supposed to be much darker, for that matter.

"Wha-?!" he stammered again, staring at his hands in turn.

He had a tanned complexion, what with all the days out in the sun helping with farming chores, mining with Dirk, and just training outside. All that sun for all that time would make someone's skin have a bit more coloration. Now, his hands- and the rest of his arms- weren't an unhealthy pale, no, they were simply the pale of someone who didn't get much light. Like Kratos' skin-tone, he noted.

"What the heck is going on here!?" he blurted, frantically looking around again.

He didn't recognize the room, but some parts of it were beginning to scare him. For one, there were an assortment of models and various craftworks on the desk and shelves- things he could recognize as his own craftwork, though he couldn't recall making them specifically- a set of dual swords on the wall, and a few dirty articles of clothing thrown here in there in his usual fashion, red, of course. The bookcase was totally off, though, those books didn't look like things he could even skim the first page and live.

"This is-" he started.

Then he spotted the pictures on the nightstand.

One was the picture in his locket, the one of him with his mother and Kratos. The one beside it was even more shocking, to be certain. It was a picture of Kratos in his Cruxis garb, a boy of about seven years riding on his shoulders and grinning as he pulled the man's spiky hair in an attempt to be playful. Though the boy was a pit paler, and his hair had a slightly more reddish tone, Lloyd could not deny the fact.

That kid was him.

"What the hell!?" he shouted, jerking backward-

And of course, seeing as he forgot he was leaning forward, he lost his balance and fell off the mattress onto the floor with a solid 'thud'.

"Ow-! Geez-" he rubbed his forehead, "that was smart-"

He heard footsteps rapidly approach much louder than they should have. However, before he could try to make sense of it the door was pulled open.

"Lloyd, I heard something, are you all right?"

The teen could only stare.

"What is it?" the man said, frowning in slight concern.

"I- I-" he stammered, his face flushing as a result of his frustration.

"You don't look well, Lloyd," Kratos frowned deeply.

Before Lloyd could even stammer Kratos had walked forward, knelt down and held a hand to his forehead, frowning a bit more as Lloyd stammered like an idiot.

"Hm, you don't seem to have a fever," he stated, "Though you're awfully shaken up-"

"I- I'm fine-!" Lloyd shook his head, jerking away from the man as he stood up. "I- I just kind of- fell out of bed-"

"Fell out of bed?" Kratos raised an eyebrow. "And I would buy that excuse, why?"

Lloyd was at a loss. First all simply waking up had done, and now Kratos coming in- acting like _this_, even _besides _the fact he was acting like all of this was normal?! What was going on-?!

Then it hit him.

He was living with Dirk when he was seven, but there was a picture right there that had him at that age with Kratos- his father- in Welgaia.

Oh no.

"Perhaps you should rest more, Lloyd," Kratos bit his lip, concern obvious in his expression, "something's not quite right with you…"

"I- I'm fine!" he said, shaking his head. "I just- I- I'm-"

"Ah," Kratos sighed deeply, closing his eyes, "you are just stressed, yes?"

He had no idea…

"Y- Yeah, that's it, I'm just stressed," he repeated, "what with all- um-"

"Lloyd, I know you're nervous about being assigned to protect the Chosen, but you need not be," Kratos said, placing a hand on his shoulder (which alone freaked him out), "I shall be with you, and besides that, you have a whole week until the Day of Prophecy, try not to worry about it until you must."

Lloyd stared up at him.

"Protect the Chosen on the Day of Prophecy…in a week?" he repeated, frozen in place.

"Well…yes," Kratos complied with a nod, frowning a bit.

Lloyd passed out.

* * *

"Geez, Kratos, you're such a woman about these kind of things-"

"He passed out, Yuan, that's not normal. I would say being concerned is justified."

"You spoil him too much, really you do-"

"I spoil him? Were you not the one that gave him his own rheaird?"

"Well-"

"Added to that, would you happen to know anything about how he acquired these 'gentleman' magazines he had under his bed?"

Silence.

"Zelos gave him those," was the immediate response.

"We'll see," came a cold reply.

With more effort than he expected, Lloyd managed to open his eyes, finding himself once again waking up in the strange bed- though this time with Kratos and Yuan at his side.

"Oh, he's awake," Yuan said.

"What convenient timing," Kratos hissed, glaring at him out the corner of his eye.

"Ugh…wh-?" Lloyd groaned, his head throbbing as he sat up.

"Don't move, Lloyden," Kratos said, gently pushing him back down, "you should rest a bit-"

"Lloyden?" the boy stared at him, a bit stunned.

Both of the men exchanged glances.

"All right, fine, maybe we should be concerned," Yuan huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

"It's what I always call you, Lloyd," Kratos frowned again, "do you not remember? Hm…It looked like you hit your head, but-"

"N- No, I- well, I did hit my head when I fell out of bed, but I'm fine, really!" Lloyd said, trying to convince himself as well as them. "I just kinda…spaced, I'm sorry…maybe it did throw me off a little- just a little, though."

"…Are you sure?" Kratos asked hesitantly, looking him up and down.

"Yeah, I'm fine now Da- d," he said.

He fumbled over the last word, but managed to keep it from being noticed. The word had come so easily to him, so easily that right in the middle of saying it he almost stopped in shock that the title had passed his lips to begin with.

"Uncle Yuan's right, you're worrying too much," he said.

…Uncle. Uncle-!? What?! What the hell was going on?!

"See, told you," Yuan smirked at Kratos, "your son's smart, Kratos, you should listen to him. Gods know you don't listen to anyone else."

"Humph," Kratos glared at him, then glanced back at Lloyd, "very well, Lloyden. …If you feel ill again, however, let me know, all right?"

"Y- Yeah," Lloyd nodded, "yes sir."

"Well, now that we've had our heart-attack for the day," Yuan said, dismissing the situation, "I've got business to take care of, as do you, Kratos…"

The man sighed with a brief nod, looking Lloyd over one more time.

"Take care of yourself, Lloyden," he stated.

Lloyd froze as the man set his hand on his head, ruffling his alternate-colored hair affectionately with a small smile before he turned and left, Yuan already having done so. The teen managed only to stare dumbly at the door, his heart beating a million miles an hour despite being unable to move.

"Okay…Dad…" he whispered simply, stunned.

He smiled? He smiled and he…? He…? What was going on? He was _not _from Welgaia, he did _not _call Yuan 'uncle' and Kratos did _not _act like a- like a-

…Like a dad…

"Oh man…what the hell is going on?" he groaned, holding his head in his hands as he slouched forward. "None of this makes sense…"

Okay, okay he had to think about this…what did he know?

Apparently, he was in the past- a week before the journey- and not only that, he was in some kind of- some kind of alternate universe or something, where he lived with Kratos- in _Cruxis._ He flinched, his eyes widening as if he had been slapped.

In _Cruxis._

"Oh my g-" he cut off, gaping at nothing in particular.

O- Okay, all right, so that was all he could come up with. How did he get here, though? What was going on? Was he dreaming? No, too real to be a dream but what else could it be? And…and why was his skin- his hair-?

He spotted a mirror and ran up to it, flinching at the sight as his eyes widened further.

Though it had been said by Yuan and a few others before that Lloyd resembled his father, there certainly was much more of an evident likeness now. His hair was a bit longer and droopier- though still spiky- and more of a red tone- though not quite so much as his father's. That, and his skin was notably paler…but why?

"Why do I look different?" he bit his lip, staring at his reflection. "I-"

Wait. Environment! Yeah, that was it! If he was in some kind of alternate reality where he had grown up in Welgaia, of course he'd look different. He was paler because of the lack of sunlight, and his hair was a different color because- um- well, darker because he got less light, yeah, but he really couldn't count for the redness. Oh well, there were a million factors that affected development at any rate-

Lloyd froze.

"…Wait- What?!" he shook his head violently. "Wh- What the hell-!? What's wrong with me?!"

Since when did he even _know _the word 'environment'?! How did he know all of that?! Then he remembered what had happened earlier, how he had almost instinctively called Kratos 'Dad' and Yuan 'Uncle'… Did that have some connection to it too? It was affecting his brain? What else was different? He shuddered at the thought, looking away from the mirror. How had something like this happened? Nothing in his memory seemed to serve its purpose in this whole situation, and yet…

"Oh why me?" he groaned.

There was a knock on the door.

"Lloyd, are you all right in there?"

Lloyd froze.

He knew that voice…but…but no! It couldn't be! What the-?!

With speed he didn't know he had he dashed to the door and flung it open, his eyes going wide in horror at seeing the person whom had knocked. The pale boy tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Lloyd? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Genis-!?" Lloyd stammered, backing up.

Indeed, the boy in the doorway was none other than Genis Sage. Sure, his outfit was different…though still blue; it had a more…armorish, quality to it. He had light-weight shin-guards and gauntlets, and a belt holding his kendama. However, the whole apparel had an almost…Desianish, quality.

"Lloyd, are you okay?" he frowned deeply. "Lord Kratos and Yuan told me you were a little bit…off, but-"

He cut off when he noticed that Lloyd's reaction wasn't changing. He was shocked. Horrified. With a deeper frown Genis walked in and closed the door, grabbing Lloyd's arm and pulling him back toward his bed.

"You're definitely not feeling well, Lloyd," he said, "lay down, I'll get a medical angel-"

"I- I'm fine!" Lloyd cried, jerking his arm away. "I just- I just-"

"Lloyd, I'm your best friend," the boy put his hands on his hips, glaring up at the teen; "I think I can notice when you're not normal."

"Well- I- you-? But-" Lloyd stammered.

Why? Why couldn't something just go right? Was it so hard?

"You look really confused," Genis frowned, his concern obvious, "Lloyd…what's going on?"

Lloyd stopped. Genis was still his best friend? How? And why was he here anyway? Though he managed to fool his father and Yuan, in truth he didn't know much of anything about this…reality, he had ended up in.

"…Okay, I'm not all right," Lloyd admitted, looking away, "I- …Look, I'll only tell you if your promise not to tell anyone else, all right? Dad thinks I'm fine, and I don't want him to think I lied…"

"Of course, Lloyd!" Genis' face lit up with a grin. "I promise!"

"…" Lloyd smiled weakly, "okay then…um…"

What could he tell him? He couldn't just come out and say 'Um, actually, I'm from an alternate future type place where you, me, and a bunch of other people took down Cruxis and united the worlds'…so what could he say? …Well, he could be truthful, for the most part…

He winced at the realization that before…this, he probably wouldn't have thought like that.

"I'm kind of confused," he said, not a lie, "I- I don't know things that I should."

"What? But you remember me fine enough- don't you?" his face fell.

"I remember you're my friend," Lloyd nodded, "but a lot of stuff other than that is…sort of…"

Genis motioned for Lloyd to sit on his bed and the boy did so, Genis pulling up a chair so he could sit across from him. The half-elf boy hoisted himself up on the chair and looked up at his friend.

"So your memory is messed up?" he said with a frown. "Oh…"

"…Genis-" he started, the hurt expression on the boy's face hurting him in turn.

"Don't worry, Lloyd!" he said. "I'm going to help you through this, I promise!"

"What?" Lloyd stared. "You… Why are you so eager to help me?"

If he was right and Genis was…as per the uniform, some kind of Junior Desian, how could it be that he was still this…nice? Apparently they were still friends, but if he was a freaking Cruxis Angel, how the hell could this boy still be the same…?

"Because you're my friend, Lloyd," Genis frowned, "What other reason do I need? You're the only friend I've ever had…"

Lloyd stared at him a moment.

"…Okay, then…are you in the Desians? I mean, it looks like you are, so…" he trailed.

"Well, of course," Genis shrugged, "I've been in there since as long as we've known each other. Do you remember any of that?"

Lloyd shook his head to signal a no. Once again relieved he wasn't lying…though it felt like it to some extent. This, however, seemed to depress Genis but he quickly pushed it aside.

"I started hanging out with you up here when I was seven. What's that, five years now?" Genis bit his lip. "Well, thing is once my sister and I joined, we were in it for about a month when Lord Kratos came down to inspect the ranch…any of this ringing a bell?"

Lloyd shook his head again, trying to take all this information in.

"Damn," Genis swore (something that alone startled Lloyd), "okay…so I was just a kid living at the ranch and Lord Kratos saw Raine taking care of me- You know who-?"

"Raine's your sister," he said, praying that was the same as well.

"See? You remember something!" Genis grinned, relieved. "Er, okay, so Lord Kratos saw me and he asked Raine if he could start bringing me here. I was the only kid in the ranch so I didn't have anyone to play with, and you were kind of alone here too, remember?"

Okay…okay that made sense. Yeah. …As much as he hated to admit it.

"Not really, but I know it now," he said truthfully.

"Well, that's a start," Genis sighed, "so… Raine wanted me to have a friend too, so I started coming up here to keep you company and...well, here we are."

The boy finished with a shrug, Lloyd frowning as he tried to summarize the facts. Okay, Raine had joined the Desians with Genis instead of becoming a teacher, Kratos had been in Cruxis and saw Genis and he and Raine decided to let the two of them meet to try to become friends. Obviously, this worked, seeing as how Genis talked with him now. However, it still bothered him how Genis was still so…so un-Desian-like.

"Do you…work at the Ranch, at all?" Lloyd asked slowly.

"They won't let me, yet," Genis huffed, glaring to the side, "I'm still a kid, so they're just training me in spells and teaching me magitechnology so far."

Oh…so Genis had yet to work the captives… That could explain how his persona wasn't too drastically different.

"Sis won't even let me see the yard," he sighed, depressed, "she says it's nothing a kid should see…"

Further proof. It seemed like Raine still had some sense of her old ethics as well, at least on the basis she recognized it as something bad, to some extent.

"Okay…so how much are you usually up here?" Lloyd asked. "Don't you miss your sister?"

"Huh-? Well, yeah, I do, but she's always busy anyway," Genis pouted, rolling his eyes, "she barely has time for me…but I guess it's not like she can help it. Running a ranch must be hard."

Lloyd blanked.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, she is a Grand Cardinal, Lloyd," Genis tilted his head to the side, "Did you forget that too?"

**Oh this is going to be fun. So much fun. This was even worth staying up an hour past my usual bedtime with a test tomorrow. n.n**

…**Hopefully XD Review? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Ah yes, Raine the Grand Cardinal. I'm sure this will be quite amusing. XD**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

…**I'll have a muse as soon as a character pops up on accident when I'm writing notes... Yes, that happens, odd, nay?**

**Zelos: I'd say so.**

**Me: O.O What-?! Aw SHIT! .**

**Zelos: AWESOME! The Great Zelos is here to stay! (wink)**

**Me: T.T Me and my f'ing mind…**

"…A Grand Cardinal…" Lloyd repeated, staring dumbly at his friend.

Genis frowned and tilted his head a bit, the light from the ceiling lamp making an almost ghostly glint off his silver-hair. Hesitantly he spoke again, trying to hide his worry.

"Yeah…I guess you didn't remember that," Genis sighed, glancing aside.

A Grand Cardinal?! Seriously!? Raine-!? …Well, that was actually pretty believable. As much as it burned him to think of his teacher and friend as a Desian Overlord, she did fit most of the criteria normally anyhow… He forced himself to remain calm, to take a deep breath and try to control himself-

Which freaked him out.

What?! Since when did he think like that?! Usually he couldn't care less if he could control himself or not…well, he did, but it was usually after he had acted. Why did this have to be so complicated? Why couldn't the world just- just stay saved? Agh! It was just one thing after another after another…

"No, I didn't," he shook his head.

"Do you remember the other Grand Cardinals?" Genis asked.

Lloyd shook his head again.

"Okay…There's Lord Rodyle," Genis counted off, then noticed Lloyd finch violently, "Huh-? Lloyd, are you all right?"

"Y- Yeah, I'm fine, keep going," he lied.

Sure, before he had heard Genis call Yggdrasill 'Lord Yggdrasill' when trying to get the mana fragment, but he had been fine with it then. It had been an act. To actually hear his friend referring to someone like that with a title…

"Well, if you're sure, Lloyd," Genis said, "Lord Rodyle runs the Remote Island Ranch; Sis runs the Palmacosta Ranch, and the Asgard Ranch…"

The boy hesitated, looking at his human friend with a tinge of fear. Lloyd wondered why briefly before it hit him. Kvar; and judging by Genis' reaction…he still hated him.

Good.

"Kvar runs that one," he said, his voice a low growl.

"Heh…at- at least you still remember _that_," the boy sighed in relief, "otherwise I'd be really worried… Could you…stop glaring like that?"

"Why?" Lloyd huffed, his emotions resurfacing.

The bastard was alive. The bastard that had taken his mother away from him…

"I don't like him either, Lloyd," Genis muttered, looking away, "I mean- Do you remember what he tried to do to my sister?"

"What?" he asked, staring a bit.

"You don't…?" the boy hesitated. "Um…okay then, uh… He uh… Tried to…seduce her."

Lloyd's eyes widened.

"He tried to rape Professor S-?! I mean, Raine!?" he flinched, his eyes wide.

"Shhh! Lloyd!" Genis flushed red. "Keep it down! That's not something we'd like everyone to _hear_ you insensitive jerk!"

"I- I'm sorry," Lloyd quieted, though was still quite obviously shocked, "I…I just…"

"You'd better be!" the boy huffed, glaring up at him. "You-!"

He hesitated, looking at Lloyd before sighing.

"I'm sorry, I'm yelling at you for something you don't even remember," Genis mumbled, glancing to the side as he fidgeted with his fingers, "I…I just get mad when-"

"No, no, it's all right," Lloyd said, shaking his head, "I… I should've thought about that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or…stuff like that."

"…S- So, anyway, then the Iselia Ranch is run by-" he said rapidly, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Forcystus, right?" Lloyd interrupted, eager to try to distract himself from the thoughts associated with the previous topic.

"Huh?" Genis blinked, looking up at him. "No, Pronyma runs the Iselia Ranch, but at least you remembered Lord Forcystus' name. He's the leader."

Wait…Pronyma was running the Iselia Ranch, Forcystus was the Head of the Grand Cardinals, and Raine was…well…

He shuddered briefly at the thought of Raine being a Desian Elite alongside Pronyma. Oh man, was she still even…herself? Wait. Didn't Genis not call her- um, 'Lady' right?

"How come you didn't call Pronyma by title?" he asked.

"Because that fucking stuck-up slutty bitch keeps slandering my sister!" Genis shouted, turning red in the face again with anger as his fists clenched.

"W- What-?" Lloyd flinched as he withdrew a bit.

"I- I…um," Genis calmed down a bit, flushing, "eh heh…I mean, I don't like her. That's…all I meant- but if anyone asks, I did call her 'Lady' okay?"

"Whatever you say," Lloyd nodded.

This was so much to take in…and quite obviously Genis had changed. He'd never heard Genis swear like that before, or seen him so easily upset-…wait, no, yes he had. Still, the swearing was just weird.

"So…um, do you remember what Cruxis does and all? The two worlds…Lady Martel, stuff like that? The Journey of Regeneration? The Renegades?"

"Yeah," Lloyd nodded, "I remember all that."

"Well that's good," Genis smiled, "that'd be a lot to explain otherwise… Oh! That reminds me, you're going to go on the journey next week, right?"

Was he? Yeah, Dad said they were going to go… Oh man, that was another headache. How could he going on the journey and-? One thing was certain; he wasn't going to let Colette die. Never. But…but wait, how could he save her and the worlds- again- when he was in the very organization he destroyed? Then…then what about Genis and Raine? They were Desians now, how could he keep them safe and Colette too…?

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Genis asked.

"Y- Yeah, and yes, I am going," he nodded.

"Really?" the boy's eyes lit up. "H…Hey, I've been wondering kind of….um…do you think that maybe if you asked Lord Yggdrasill-"

Lloyd flinched slightly.

"That maybe you could…um, manage to let me go along?" he blurted the last of his sentence.

"…Huh?" Lloyd said simply.

He guessed it hadn't crossed his mind that Genis _wouldn't_ be…wait. This meant- that meant Raine wasn't going to go either. What? But…they'd never be able to finish the journey without Raine! She was the one that handled the machines, the healing, and…

Well, sure, he wouldn't miss her cooking, but that wasn't the point.

"Lloyd?" Genis bit his lip.

"I- Yes, I'll ask," Lloyd nodded, "I'll ask him."

Truthfully, he didn't know what to do. What could he do? He needed to think, he needed to try to find a way to make all of this work…

"Really?!" Genis' face lit up. "Yes-! Thanks, Lloyd! I mean, otherwise I'd just be stuck doing nothing at the ranch while you did the journey…"

The door opened suddenly, both males turning their heads around.

Lloyd did his best not to pass out.

"S- Sis? What are you doing here-?" Genis began.

"I'm taking you home, what does it look like?" the woman scoffed.

Lloyd was trying not to stare, though it was much harder task than one would think. Physically, there was no difference in appearance. However, the outfit change was a bit…unnerving. A bronze breastplate covered her chest and shoulders, accompanied by gauntlets and shin-guards, as Genis had, but with a skirt-like bronze mail that cut down her body. In addition to all this was a head-band of sorts over her forehead, embedded with a red gem. Sure, maybe Lloyd could've handled that….but um…her midriff, arms and a lot of leg were covered only by a skin-tight black material…

And he'd never seen her show so much chest.

"Pr-? Raine?" Lloyd corrected himself. "What are you doing here-?"

"My apologies for the intrusion, Young Lord Aurion," she bowed her head, Lloyd having to muster all his willpower so as not to have a seizure, "but you understand, yes? Being my brother and pupil, Genis has certain 'responsibilities' of which he has been neglecting."

The woman rightened and glared dangerously at Genis, who flinched.

"R- Res-?" he stammered.

"Genis Kloitz Sage," she scoffed, her hands on her hips, "I _explicitly _told you that if your room was not clean by today, I wouldn't let you come here until after the Chosen's journey!"

Lloyd's mouth fell open a bit.

"M- My roo-? Oh! O- Oh! That!" Genis chuckled nervously, glancing around in a panic. "Um… You see, I-"

"Genis…" Raine growled, glowering down at him.

"W- Why do I have to clean it?!" he stammered, flushing a bit. "You're the Grand Cardinal, sis! You could easily just order someone to-"

Raine smacked Genis upside the head, and this ironically eased Lloyd's tension a bit. It was familiar, after all.

"Genis!" she scoffed. "Honestly! How do you expect to grow up if you can't even learn how to take care of yourself?! I don't care what I can have people do for you, I want you to do it!"

She sighed and rubbed her temple, Genis' face downcast as he took in his sister's words.

"I…I'm sorry," the boy said.

"It's all right, I'm just a little stressed what with the oracle and-…"

She looked at Lloyd, who was still staring at them. The woman flinched and then bowed again, her face flushing somewhat.

"M- My apologies for doing this in your quarters, Young Lord Aurion," she said, "I-"

"It's all right," Lloyd said, shaking his head, "and you don't have to call me-"

"I know you wish me to call you by your name," she smiled softly, the familiar, teacherly expression, "however, it wouldn't be appropriate, you outrank me, Young Lord Aurion."

"Genis doesn't-"

"Genis is the only exception, he is your friend, after all," she said, looking at her brother.

"…But…" Lloyd whispered almost inaudibly.

This feeling…what was it? So…damp, cold…soggy… Sadness. He was sad.

"That reminds me, before we go…" Raine approached him, looking him up and down, "Lord Kratos asked me to give you a check-up."

"W- What-?"

"He said you were acting strangely earlier and he is concerned for your health," she stated simply, "I'm skilled in healing arts, as you know, and he preferred I take a look rather than one of the medic-angels…"

Lloyd's eye twitched involuntarily. What-?! Oh sure, in an alternate universe Kratos worried about him. Well, he supposed he did worry about him in his own reality, but it was never obvious to any extent.

"I'm fine," Lloyd huffed, glaring a bit, "Dad's just being paranoid."

Again with the 'd' word…

"I'm sorry, Young Lord Aurion, but I can't refuse an order from your father," she smiled weakly, "Genis, go wait by the transporter.I'll meet you in a minute."

"Aw, but Raine-!"

"Genis," she snapped, her tone icy, "Get. To. The transporter."

The color bled from the young boy's face and he shot Lloyd one last glance uttering a quick good-bye to the brunette- er, auburn-head, before racing out the door. Before Lloyd knew it, Raine's hand was bare and pressed up against his forehead, taking his temperature.

"Uh-? Pr- Raine-" he started, flushing a bit.

"Hm, you don't seem to have a fever of any kind," she mused, then grabbed his wrist, biting her lip as she timed his pulse, "your heart rate seems normal…"

"Raine!" Lloyd cried, attempting to pull away from her. "Really, I'm fine!"

"Well, it seems that way," the woman frowned as she slid on her gauntlet, "but if anything does start feeling…not too right, say something, understand?"

Not too right? Not too-? Aw man, what was with his life and irony!?

…And since when did he know that word?!

"Y- Yes, I understand," he nodded.

"Very well then, by your leave," Raine gave another bow, turning and leaving.

Lloyd could do nothing but stare after her for a good few minutes, sighing heavily and rubbing his head. This was all messed up…all so messed up… What was he going to do? What was he…going to do…?

"Why can't I get a break…?" he moaned, shaking his head. "Well…I'm not going to get anywhere sitting here."

With this he got up from the bed, surveying…his, room, attempting to locate where his clothes were. He was, after all, in his pajamas, well…not so much pajamas as they were a plain red nightshirt and pants. At least he still liked red. Okay, the wardrobe, now which drawer-

His hand instantly moved to the second one from the top, pulling it open and finding, to his amazement, exactly what he had been looking for. His eyes widened at this and he stepped back, staring. Wait, he knew where…? He knew where it was?

"Lloyd," a voice said.

Under usual circumstances, he would've jumped a bit, and he was surprised he didn't. However, the voice didn't startle him at all, didn't scare him, didn't even surprise him. It was…comfortable, just to hear it. The teen turned as Kratos entered the room once more, a frown still plastered on the man's face.

"Y- Yes, Dad?" he said. "What is it?"

"I wanted to check if you were all right," he stated, closing his eyes, "but…you seem to be fine now."

"Of course," he smirked a bit, attempting to relieve his fears.

"Well then, if you're certain, hurry and get dressed," Kratos stated, "I'm taking you to the Hakonesia Mountain Range."

"What? Why there?" he blinked, tilting his head to the side.

He instantly noted that he didn't usually do that, but decided now wasn't the best time to freak out about it.

"Training," he stated, "it would do you some good to fight monsters in Sylvarant, prior to the journey. Change into some casual clothing, and-"

"LLLLLOYDDIIIIEEE!!"

"Wh-? Ah-!"

Lloyd found himself in one of the most bizarre situations he had been in- and that was saying something. While Kratos had been talking, a blur of white and green had zoomed in from the door and performed an action best described as a glomp. The teen stared in shock at the person who had attached himself to him with a tight hug, what appeared to be a teenage boy slightly younger than him, with pale skin, pointed ears, green hair, blue eyes and green tattoos of sorts on his arms and face.

"Lloydie!" he exclaimed happily. "I heard you were sick and I was sooooo worried!"

"Noishe, get off of him-" Kratos started.

"What?!"

Kratos and the 'boy' stopped, giving Lloyd strange looks. The teen instantly tried to regain his composure, stammering a bit while he tried to cover up for his outburst. The boy released Lloyd, backing up a bit as his face fell and his ears drooped a bit.

"Lloydie…? Are you…you are okay, aren't you?" he frowned.

"Uh…Y- yes, I'm sorry, I'm just a little off today, that's all-"

"Ah! Lloydie's sick Lloydie's sick Lloydie's sick!" he shouted, his ears jolting up again. "It's horrible! Kratooooosss!"

Kratos sighed deeply as the strange person clung to his side, shivering violently.

"Lloydie's sick! Oh no oh no oh nooooooo!"

"Noishe, how many times must I tell you? I cannot stand it when you whine like that-"

"You used to love it when I whined!" he shouted, gasping up at the man.

"Back when it was the only sound you could make," Kratos said flatly, "Such quieter times…"

"You're an ass, Kratoooooos!" he whined, then look at Lloyd. "Isn't he, Lloyd?!"

Lloyd was too busy trying not to pass out again.

…**I had the urge to start a fic with a Human-Noishe. However, as much as I tried I couldn't seem to make it work in the canon universe. Ta-dah. X3**

**Zelos: Well, that could get annoying…**

**Me: Shut up and get me a sandwich, bitch.**

**Zelos: Wh-? Ooooh, you like it like that, huh? All right then eheheheheheh…**

**Me:…(points gun at head)**

**Zelos: Review my hunnies! (wink)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm in pppaaaaiiiinnnnn….**

**Zelos: So why are you writing? **

**Me: I dunno….**

**Zelos: And why are you in pain? You take it rough? (wink)**

**Me: (Maims Zelos) Because my stomach hurts now say the damn f'ing DISCLAIMER!**

**Zelos: Ooooh…it's her 'time', I gets it.**

**Me: I'M GOING TO-!**

**Zelos: Freakyanimegal owns nothing! (Charming smile right before get maimed again)**

Lloyd did his best not to stare, really he did, but it was hard. How could he not? That bouncing, hyperactive teenager was his 'dog'? A fourteen year old boy clad in dark blue slacks and a black t-shirt, hopping around like a sugar-high rabbit as they set foot on the ground, putting away their rheairds into their wing-packs. He frowned and ran his fingers through his hair, looking down at his 'casual' garb. Apparently this was what he would be wearing on the journey, red and black. Blacks pants with a stripe of red up the sides, a black undershirt and a red jacket over it, black trailings from the neck where the white ones were on his old outfit. He had fingerless black gloves and red boots of a slight different style, and none of the old silver buttons he had been accustomed to, not to mention suspenders were not even _in _his room. He didn't quite understand that, what was wrong with suspenders?

To his surprise, he found himself snorting a bit.

Wrong? Nothing, aside from the fact they made him look like a country-bumpkin, in fact, his entire old outfit was rather…well, dorky. Come to think of it, so was that 'pirate' outfit he had received from Aifread. He shuddered a bit at the thought; had he really paraded around wearing stuff like that without any shame? What had he been thinking? It-

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Lloyd? Is something wrong?" Kratos asked, stopping a couple of steps in front of him.

"N- Nothing, Dad," he shook his head, "It's just…"

"I understand, Lloyd, you don't get to come to Sylvarant a lot," the man nodded, "It must be rather strange for you to see settlements like this."

Lloyd wondered what he meant a moment before he spotted the checkpoint at the peak, his eyes widening a bit. He nodded and agreed with his father, hoping he would overlook it.

Thankfully, he did, and Lloyd went back to trying to sort out his shock.

Had he really been thinking stuff like that? He had never found anything wrong with his clothes, he liked them, so why was it that now-?

"A bit confused, Lloydie?" a voice chirped.

He turned and looked down to see Noishe's smiling face, his blue eyes glinting with an air of mischief, with the air of child who would go to a peer and proclaim that they 'knew something you don't'. For some reason, the hairs on the back of Lloyd's neck stood on end and he scoffed down at the 'teen', looking away.

"Confused? About what?" he demanded, trying to act like he wasn't bothered.

"Nevermind," he chirped, practically skipping away from him after Kratos, to whom he began to jabber rapidly as the man sighed.

It was so hard to believe that that was Noishe….then again, all of this was hard to believe. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again, nothing he had been doing that a lot lately. Was it some kind of habit he had here? Oh well, that aside, Kratos was heading off into the mountain range adjacent to the checkpoint, se he quickened his pace to keep up with him. They had climbed a bit of a ways before Kratos looked down at him, an eyebrow raised.

"W…What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"You've never traversed this type of terrain before," the man explained, "I'm surprised you have no difficulties with it."

He found himself scoffing.

"Of course I can!" he huffed. "I mean, I am an angel and all-"

He cut off. No…had he really just said that? That wasn't like him at all…

"I suppose so, but having the ability and having the experience are two different things, Lloyden," Kratos stated, "Please, do not get overconfident."

"I…I'm sorry, Dad," he said, his eyes lowered, "I…I won't- I'll work on it."

Why did he feel so down all of a sudden? Yes, he always felt a bit bad when Kratos told him he did something wrong, because he really did look up to the man, but…but this was more than that. It was that same feeling, he guessed, except…it was more akin to shame. He was ashamed of himself for disappointing his dad.

An ear-splitting shriek rang through their ears, Lloyd wincing at the sound.

"W- What the-?!" he shouted.

Everything was so _loud _now! Sure, he had gotten a taste of angelic senses before coming here, but it was very, very shortly before. He was still adjusting, truth be told.

"Help meeeeee!"

A blur of white, blue and green attached to his side, the boy hyperventilating in fear.

"Noishe, honestly, it's only a ladybug," Kratos sighed, slicing the insect 'monster' in half without so much as a blink.

"But it's a _monster _ladybug!" Noishe cried.

"…Can you let go of me?" Lloyd asked, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.

"But the monsters are scary…" he whimpered, his blue eyes going wide in what was unmistakably a puppy-dog look, his ears drooping down to further the effect.

"Noishe, if you cling to him he cannot fight, please release him," Kratos sighed.

"Oh fine," he huffed, letting Lloyd's arm go, "Meanie."

"If you're so scared, why did you come?" Lloyd frowned, looking at him.

It wasn't like Noishe to willingly go near monsters, and apparently that should still be the same, judging on how he just reacted to the bug. So why did he come anyway…?

"That is a very good question, actually," Kratos closed his eyes, frowning a bit, "Why did you come, Noishe? I understand you probably wanted some sun, but then you could've just stayed back by the settlement."

"Well…"

This question seemed to unnerve Noishe a bit, actually, as the 'boy' began to glance around nervously, his ears slowly drooping down at an angle.

"Uh- EEK!"

He clung to Lloyd again.

"Grasshopper!" he shouted, screaming like a little girl.

Lloyd sighed and managed to shake Noishe off, unsheathing his swords as his father did the same.

"Go ahead and defeat it, Lloyden," Kratos said, "I'll step in if you need help."

The teen sped in, finding that he was much faster than he had been before. He was startled just a second before he realized that that was simply part of being an angel, enhanced speed, strength, senses…the works. Despite this, he found it actually somewhat of a chore to defeat the insect. It was like…like all the fighting he did before was just a dream, that he could visualize what to do, he could see himself doing it, but his body was slow to react… Then he even attempted to do a 'Rising Falcon' and instead felt a jolt in his body, freezing him in one spot.

"Wh-?" he froze.

Kratos took this as his sign to jump in and slew the insect, turning to Lloyd with a frown.

"Lloyd, what happened?" he frowned. "It looked like you had a mana-short."

"Huh?" Lloyd stared up at him.

"…You didn't do the lesson I assigned, did you?" the man sighed, putting a hand to his face.

"Uh…a mana-short…um…"

"If you try a technique you have no mana-memory for- a high-level one- without having the previous leveled techniques perfected, you will experience a mana-short," he explained, "Your body's mana is trying to overreach itself, essentially, thus it can backfire."

"That's what I just did?" Lloyd frowned.

"Yes, though…what skill is it you were trying to perform?" the man frowned. "I haven't taught you anything that would do such…"

"'Cause you knew he'd try it and hurt himself, right?" Noishe grinned toothily, popping up beside Kratos with a little bounce.

"Wh-?" Lloyd started.

"Yes, actually," Kratos sighed, "Which is why I want to know which skill it was. I believe you said…'Rising Falcon'? I don't believe I've ever even mentioned that to you…"

Shit.

"Uh…I…um…" Lloyd stammered, trying to find an excuse.

"Yeah, Lloyd…where did you learn that one?" Noishe asked.

The playful, happy-go-lucky dog look was gone, replaced with one far more wolf-like. His eyes were narrowed, his expression stern, as if he was looking straight through him…

Crap. Crap crap crap-

"Oh yeah! I remember!" Noishe smiled again, startling both of them. "I told him about that one!"

"…" Lloyd stared at him.

The boy gave him a quick wink, which startled him a bit before the once-'dog' turned to look up at Kratos.

"Sorry, Kratos," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, "I was blabbing about moves I've seen and I told him about it, he thought it was cool so I should've guessed he'd want to try it…"

Noishe was covering for him? Did that actually happen, or didn't it? And if Noishe was making this up, then why would he? And what was that wink about? Well, at any rate, Kratos seemed to believe this and they went about fighting creatures together, Noishe getting his share of exercise by running off and then running back multiple times. Eventually, they ended up sitting on the ground to take a break- well, Lloyd and Noishe did, Kratos still stood. Lloyd gave a loud sigh, leaning against a rock as he closed his eyes. This was a lot harder than it had been before…mana-memory…what was that, now that he thought about it? Was it…like muscle memory? Oh! Yeah, that had to be it! Like even if you know how to do something, if your body hasn't done it enough it won't do it right…so mana was the same way? Neat. That was pretty interesting, maybe he should-

He winced and then shook his head violently, trying to drive the thought away.

"Lloyd? Is something wrong?" Kratos frowned.

"H- huh? Uh, yeah, I'm just a bit tired," he said, not a full-lie, "So…um…"

It was like during the journey, almost, how they would sit around camp at night- or just taking a break, like they were doing- with Kratos standing there and Lloyd looking up at him. Except now…it was different. Well, of course it was, but the thing was…Kratos was his father now. W- Well, he always had been, yeah, but…well- ah, nevermind.

"Dad…" he trailed.

Strange how it was so easy to say that word now. Like how fighting was harder now, and how he kept having all these crazy thoughts about…y'know, thinking stuff. Well...he could worry about that in a little bit. Right now he wanted to say something. The problem was, he wasn't sure what to say. In this reality, this man had raised him all of his life, this man was a father in more than just blood…kind of- kind of how he had wanted him to be.

"I- I um, I know this sounds kind of…weird, but…" he stammered.

"Yes…?" Kratos raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I- Um- Do you-? Can we look at the stars together? I mean, when we go on the journey and stuff, can we look at them, down here- y- y'know, you and me?"

Kratos tilted his head to the side, his eyebrow still raised as a weak, half-smile came to his face, a bit of a bemused look in his expression.

"Why is that an odd thing to ask, Lloyd?" he asked. "Of course we can. I see no reason against that."

"…Really?" Lloyd stared up at him. "O- Okay, so uh…do you think that maybe we could-"

"Lllloooyyyydddddd!" Noishe called, interrupting him. "I'm hungrrrrryyyyyyyy!"

Lloyd felt his eye twitch as he turned to the boy sitting beside him the protozoan's blue eyes big and fully puppy-dog like, using the whimper characteristic of young canines.

"Think I liked you better as a dog…" he muttered.

"What was that?" he blinked, his ears perking up.

"N- Nothing," he shook his head, "Look, we'll make something, okay?"

"You're going to have to get used to that as well, I suppose," Kratos closed his eyes.

"What?"

"Eating, humans usually eat everyday," he said, "about three times, I know you're not used to eating that much, but it won't have any negative affects for you."

"Uh…Yes, all right," he nodded, trying to keep up his act.

"Now then, I'll show you how to start a fire without magic," he stated, "Then I'll make something."

"Yay! Kratos is gonna make munchies!" Noishe cried, jumping up and down with his arms over his head.

"Noishe, stop that," the man sighed.

"Will there be meat?! I like meat!"

How was he going to do this? Noishe was an annoying tween, Genis and the Professor were both- ugh, and didn't Yuan mention something about Zelos? Were the others the same, more or less? How was Colette? Dirk? And they…they didn't know him, did they? A sudden stab of pain hit his heart and he grimaced, drawing Kratos' attention.

"Lloyd, really, if something's wrong, tell me," the man sighed, "You're going to worry me sick if you keep whatever's bothering you to yourself."

"I already told you, nothing's wrong!" he said. "Really!"

Kratos looked at him a moment before he sighed and looked away, Lloyd looking away from him as well, but instead found himself face to face with a smirking Noishe.

"Dwarven Vow #11, Lloyd," he whispered.

Lloyd's eyes widened violently, his mouth dropping a bit as Noishe merely smirked back at him.

"W- What are you-?" he stammered.

"Dirk'd be so disappointed," his eyes narrowed.

Lloyd merely stared at him for what felt like an hour, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Kratos! I'm gonna take Lloyd to hang out with me in the woods, m'kay?" Noishe chirped happily. "We'll be back in a minute!"

"Noishe, I hardly think-"

"But I haven't ran around in the woods in foreeeeveeerrrr….!" He whined, his ears going down. "Lloyd hasn't at all! Please?! Please please please?!"

"All right, fine," Kratos sighed, "Just be back in ten minutes."

"Hooray!" Noishe chirped. "Let's go, Lloydie!"

Before Lloyd could protest, Noishe grabbed his arm and ran off a ways, stopping once he was sure he had gone far enough. Lloyd barely got to say a word when Noishe glomped him, a huge grin on his face.

"YAY! Lloyd! You're you! You're actually you!" he cried.

"W- What?! Get off me-!"

"I was so worried I was alone here! Really! Kratos is scaring the crap out of me acting like a dad! And Raine didn't even try to dissect me! At all! Not to mention Genis doesn't smell like library books anymore and-"

"W- Wait-!" Lloyd gaped, halting his struggles. "You- What do you mean-?"

"You know what I mean! Everyone's all weird now!" he cried, his ears drooping as he released the teen. "I mean, look at you! In Cruxis and a red-head for mana's sake! Just think of what Genis would say! Well, that is, y'know, our Genis; the shrimpy lies he's an elf isn't in the Desians Genis. Him. If Raine were herself I just _know _she'd be freaking out-"

"You-? You know about-?"

"Of course I do!" Noishe grinned. "I _am_ an advanced creature, after all, a little thing like the space-time continuum being warped isn't gonna affect me much. Though I am surprised you're you, but I guess being the Eternal Swordsman helped for that."

Lloyd stared at him. After a good few minutes he finally spoke, his jaw hanging open.

"Noishe?" he said, as if actually seeing him for the one he knew.

"Dim as ever, huh? Guess some things don't change," Noishe smirked, "Yup, I remember everything you do; living with Dirk, the journey, going to Tethe'alla, uniting the worlds…the whole kit and caboodle!"

The teen managed only to continue gaping like his mind had snapped.

"By the way, hands are _so _cool! I mean, I have thumbs! How cool is that?!" he grinned, wiggling his thumbs in front of Lloyd's face to emphasize his point. "I can pick stuff up! I can open a bag of dog-food all by myself! I can throw a rock at Yuan! It's _awesome_!"

"I- I-? How-? W- Wait! How did you know that-?!"

"That you were you? I'm good like that, Lloyd," he winked, smirking, "I could tell right away you were different than yourself here, you didn't quite match up with the memories of you here- Don't get me wrong, you're much nicer as your 'Raised by a dwarf' self."

"Memories?" Lloyd frowned. "You mean… You're from where I'm from, but you have memories from this place?"

"Wow, maybe I was wrong, you _are _a lot smarter here…" Noishe stared, his ears drooping again.

"Hey!"

"Well, yeah, to answer your question," Noishe shrugged, "I have my old memories and I can see the ones from this reality too, why? You can't?"

"Well, no-"

"Have you tried?" Noishe raised an eyebrow.

"…" Lloyd closed his eyes.

Remember something…from here? Could he do that? Like what? Maybe-

Genis.

_He stood next to Kratos warily, eying the two silver-haired beings that had been brought into the home he shared with his father and Noishe. The smaller one, a boy of about seven, half-hid behind his sister, a seventeen year old girl donned in the female Desian armor minus the helmet, who was anxiously looking down at her brother and at the Seraph before her. _

"_I- I apologize, Lord Kratos," she frowned, "He's a little shy, it's not that anything's wrong with your boy, Genis is just a bit…"_

"_Of a scaredy-cat?" Lloyd asked, snorting a bit. _

"_Lloyd!" Kratos scoffed down at him._

"_W- What? He is!" _

"_N- No I'm not!" the boy stammered, flushing bright red._

"_Oh yeah? Then why are you hiding behind your sister? Chicken," he glared, crossing his arms over his chest._

"_Lloyd, behave," Kratos glared, "Miss Sage and her brother came here at my request, be polite."_

_ "Well…okay," he muttered, glancing at Genis, "Sorry…"_

"_It's completely natural for children to act this way when they don't see other children often," Raine smiled weakly, "I'm sure if we just give them time they'll warm up to each other."_

"_Huh? You mean…he's going to stay here?" Lloyd frowned._

"_For a little while, your father thought it would be nice if you could have a bit of a play-date," Raine said._

"_A play date?! I'm not a kid!" Lloyd snapped._

"_Yes you are," Kratos said simply, "Now then, why don't you go show Genis around? I'm sure he's very interested to see what Welgaia looks like."_

_So it was the pre-teen ended up leading the little boy through the city, eventually showing him one of the larger buildings._

"_Wow! This place is big!" Genis gaped._

"_I guess so," Lloyd shrugged, obviously bored._

"_This would be a good place to play hide-and-seek!" Genis said._

_Lloyd froze._

_ "What?" he said, looking at the boy._

"_To…to play hide-and-seek…" he mumbled, blushing a bit. "Haven't you played it…?"_

_Well sure, he had when he was younger. When he managed to whine Uncle Yuan or Dad into it when he was a kid, but they had stopped doing that with him a long time ago. Noishe would play, but he was too darn good at it, it stopped being fun._

"_Yeah, I have," he said, looking at the boy warily, "You mean…you want to play hide-and-seek?"_

"_W- Well…can we?" Genis asked nervously._

_There was a good few minutes of silence before Lloyd found himself grinning widely, something he had not done in quite a while._

"_Sure, but you're it!"_

"_W- What?! No fair!"_

_He was already racing down the halls, grinning to himself._

_Well, okay, maybe it'd be okay for that kid to come up here every now and then…_

Lloyd opened his eyes, his jaw dropping somewhat.

"I see you did it," Noishe chirped.

"I…I don't understand…what happed? What's going on here, Noishe?" Lloyd asked, frowning.

"Well, I don't know for sure," Noishe said, "but I know one thing."

"What?"

"I won't have to sleep in a pen anymore!"

"…"

"What?"

Lloyd groaned, rubbing his forehead. Why did the gods hate him so?

**Well well, not bad. n.n I really got into it toward the bottom.**

**Zelos:…You got into it towards the bottom…ehehehehe…**

**Me: You're sick. **

**Zelos: n.n You're just saying that! Review, my hunnies!**


	4. Chapter 4

**(humming to self)**

**Zelos: Well you seem in an unusually good mood my hunny.**

**Me: (Smacks Zelos) Disclaimer.**

**Zelos: Oh sure, fine…be like that T.T Freakyanimegal owns nothing.**

**Me: Thank you n.n Let it begin! :D**

Lloyd couldn't seem to get the frown off his face, though Noishe kept making attempts to remove it. Sadly, Noishe didn't seem to know much more about what had happened than he did, though he did manage to help him out a bit. First covering for him with Kratos, then letting him in on the memory factor…and just the fact someone else had a clue what he was going through. Still, Lloyd was uneasy with all that had transpired and fell deep in thought, attempting to figure out what it was he would do.

"Lloyd, look, come on…" Noishe sighed, his ears drooping, "I was so excited to see you still…you, and now you get into a funk like this! Please, cheer up-"

"How can I cheer up, Noishe? Don't you understand this?" he cried, distraught. "Genis and the Professor are Desians, we're like this, Colette's all alone and they expect me to lead her to her death! Noishe- W- What am I supposed to do? I can't let Colette die, but I can't fight my best friend and- and…Dad… I can actually call him 'Dad' now! I don't want to ruin that! Though…that…and Dirk doesn't even know who I am, now! This is- this is-"

"Lloyd, calm down," Noishe said, suddenly serious, "Worrying about it isn't going to help anything now. You need to relax-"

"I can't, Noishe-!"

Lloyd found himself gaping to the side, having been smacked upside the face by Noishe.

"I told you to calm down, Lloyd," the protozoan spat, "Look, I know one or two things, okay? Trust me, relax, if there's something we can do, it'll find us, understand?"

"But…what if-?"

"Lloyd, look," the shorter male sighed, "…You're looking at it wrong, maybe…just think of it this way….how could you save more people with a position in Cruxis? For one, Iselia might not be destroyed."

"I-…y- yeah…" Lloyd stopped, frowning, "That's…true…"

"As for Dirk…" Noishe closed his eyes, frowning, "Well…he does love you and all, you'd be surprised what that'll do…"

"Huh?" Lloyd frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Like I said, you'd be surprised," Noishe winked at him, "Trust me. In the mean-time, you seriously need to relax, if you get all stressed out Kratos will be on your case again."

Lloyd winced.

"Exactly," he sighed, "Look, you just chill out in here, okay? Try to relax, I'll be back in a few minutes…I want to check something out."

He dashed out the door before Lloyd could answer, leaving the teen to sigh to himself in the empty room. Nervously he glanced around, eying the room that he was told was his, but felt so foreign to him, frightening even. The cold metallic walls and the elegant furniture seemed so unlike his warm, wooden and plant-filled room, and there wasn't even sunlight to brighten the place up. Still…he found himself looking around and feeling some sense of…comfort. It was like he had just come back from a long trip to find this place, as a place he had long missed…

"Grr," he shook his head, "No, this isn't my home…"

H e grimaced and walked over to the window, placing his hands on the sill as he stuck his head out to look around. There was nothing really to look at, just more steel walls and empty alleyways… Lloyd bit his lip and sighed, turning from it again. Relax, he said, how was he supposed to relax in a place like this? With another light groan he plopped unceremoniously onto the bed, staring up at the blank ceiling. What was he supposed to do? He had to think of something….he had to, he couldn't let Colette die, he couldn't let Cruxis win.. but he couldn't put his friends or his father in danger because of that. There had to be a way, if his journey had taught him anything it was that if you looked for a way you could make it. Hadn't they been impossible odds before, anyway? So…he could do this, he knew he could, he had to. He closed his eyes and let out a soft exhale, allowing his tired body to sink into the soft mattress. There was no point in stressing himself right now if there was nothing he could do, he should at least try to relax and deal with the problem when either he had rested or there were any further developments….

He flinched and stared a bit before letting out a loud groan and holding his head, his hands tensing as he did so.

"Dammit, no! Stop it!" he shouted, shaking his head.

This wasn't him, this wasn't right, he wasn't supposed to be like this- or was he?

The thought made him gasp slightly.

….If….things had- things easily could've been like this, couldn't they? And…in fact, if he didn't get separated from Kratos to begin with…this….was probably where he would've ended up.

"No, I'm me, it doesn't matter," he muttered frowning deeply.

But….didn't it? He was here, wasn't he? Didn't it matter? Hell, he didn't even look completely the same, and then…Noishe was a freaking human! …Well, humanoid, but-

No. No he was going to stop thinking about this, he was going to just forget everything for a little while, he was going to give himself and ulcer if he didn't take a break. So with another deep breath and exhale he relaxed again, the dead silence of Welgaia for once proving some comfort to him as no noise allowed him to fall into sleep.

He awoke from a dreamless sleep- he wasn't sure how much later it was, it's not like the lighting ever changed in this place. Lloyd groaned as he sat up and stretched his arms out, letting out a deep exhale as his body relaxed. His groggy eyes drifted around the room and he nearly gasped before remembering his situation, sighing as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well now what?" he muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the room.

Luckily or unluckily for him, he was saved from finding an answer to that question when the door opened. Noishe poked his head in, looking at him, then smiled and trotted into the room.

"Have a nice nap?" he chirped.

"…I guess so," Lloyd sighed, shaking his head somewhat.

"Still grumpy, huh?" Noishe pouted, his ears drooping somewhat. "Oh well…you'll get over it. Kratos told me to come get you."

" Huh? Why?" Lloyd asked, lifting his head a bit to look at his friend.

"Well he said he wanted to train with you some more," Noishe shrugged, "It's pretty funny actually, he's all worried you might get hurt so he keeps wanting to train you for the journey."

"Worried?" he half scoffed half laughed. "It's hard to see him really worried about anything…"

"Except about you," Noishe smirked, his eyes glinting slyly.

"…" Lloyd glared slightly, "Don't do that."

"Do what?" he chirped, his ears perking up as a smile lit up his face.

"That….smirking thing, it's…freaky," he finished lamely.

"Oh fine, tell the guy who just got a human face not to make expressions," Noishe pouted in a rather dog-like whine, "I see how it is, be a jerk to me."

Lloyd blinked, a bit put off by that reaction. He shook his head and tried to speak again-

"I'm just messing with you, Lloyd, calm down," Noishe frowned, his eyes narrowing somewhat, "You don't have to be so serious about it."

"Oh, sorry about that, I wasn't sure if you were just joking with me or what," Lloyd smiled apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's okay," Noishe chirped, his ears perking up again, "Well you better get going, Kratos is waiting for you- you do know where to go, don't you?"

"….Uh…"

"Yes you do," Noishe winked, "You'll know where to go. Well, ta ta!"

With one last smile he all but bounced out of the room, leaving Lloyd a bit flustered.

"H- Hey! Wait, I don't know where to-! ….Thanks a lot Noishe," he huffed, glaring slightly at the door.

Well, he wasn't going to get anywhere just sitting here. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and headed to the door when a thought struck him. He did just sleep in his clothes after all, maybe he should change, it wouldn't do if he didn't look presentable-

Woah, hold on, wait a minute….

….Since when did he care about stuff like that? With a slight grimace he mused the question, not quite liking the answer he was coming up with. It was another one of those things, then, huh? Great, just great…but as much as he hated to admit it that thought was probably right, Kratos would probably scold him if he showed up in rumpled clothes and all.

"Okay, change first it is," he sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day.

He did so and then left the room, trying to remember his way to the main area of Welgaia. Where was he going anyway? Noishe said he'd know but…well guess what, Noishe? He didn't know. All right, think about this, Lloyd..if Kratos wanted to train here, it'd have to be someplace with space….uhm…

"You're a little late."

He broke from his daze and looked up at the sound of the voice, seeing Kratos standing not feet from him, his arms crossed in his usual fashion. Lloyd blinked and looked around, finding himself in an area he did not recognize- but did. He hadn't even realized where he was walking as he thought, but he'd just walked right to the place he needed to be….

That was…freaky….

"Lloyd? Are you all right?" Kratos frowned slightly.

"What-? Oh, yes, sorry Dad," he shook his head, trying not to wince at the word passing his lips, "I was thinking about something-"

"What have I told you about letting your guard down-?"

"Enemies will not care if I'm lost in thought or not, I need to always be on guard, regardless of the place or situation," He recited with a slight exasperation, akin to when Dirk made him recite the seventh dwarven vow.

….Woah. All right, if something else like that passed through his lips he was going to lose it.

"…I know you know this, Lloyd, but I merely wish to make sure you are…" Kratos trailed, then shook his head, "Nevermind. Draw your swords and let us get started."

He nodded and did as he was instructed, poising himself across from Kratos.

"Don't go too easy on me this time, all right?" he said with a slight smile.

"…" Kratos drew his sword, "You assume I always go easy on you?"

"Well if you didn't I'd be kind of dead," he muttered a bit bitterly, "That's all right, though, one of these days I'll be able to beat you."

He knew that, after all…and he was set on doing that. Granted he wasn't quite sure how he felt about Kratos half the time now, but he knew that regardless, somehow he wanted to surpass him. That was one thing…both of his …'sides', he supposed, agreed on strongly. It was a very strange feeling-

"Ow-!" he cried, hitting the ground.

"I tell you to keep focused and you daydream seconds afterward," Kratos tsked above him, "Get up and let's start again."

"That was a cheap shot…" Lloyd muttered as he started to lift himself off the ground.

"There is no such thing as a 'cheap shot' in life or death," he stated, "Get up."

"I am I am-"

Kratos knocked him down before he'd even got to his feet.

"Ow-!"

"Your enemy won't give you a chance to get up, Lloyd."

He was still strict as ever. Strange how that actually comforted him….

* * *

"Lloyyyyddddiieee!"

"Ah-!"

Lloyd jerked upright and flailed a bit, almost falling out of bed at the unfamiliar voice that had screeched him awake, his ears pounding a t the unnaturally Lloyd sound. His hands jerked up to his ears and he grimaced, scrunching up his face as he tried to get a hold of himself.

"Oh! Sorry, Lloyd, forgot you weren't used to this yet and all," the voice said quieter, a slight whine in the voice.

The brunette peeked open an eye to his bedside, seeing Noishe sitting on the ground beside him, his ears drooped and a puppy-dog pout on his face. Lloyd was thrown off for just a second before he once again remembered his situation; this was hard to get used to…

"It's okay, Noishe," he sighed, rubbing his ears, "Just don't be so loud next time, okay? So what's the big deal? Why are you so hyper?"

"Oh! Oh oh!" Noishe jumped to his feet, hopping up and down like a sugar-high preschooler. "It's great! You've got a guest!"

"Huh-? What did Genis come back?" he blinked, finding himself a bit more awake.

"Uhm…no, but he is your friend," Noishe chirped, "And- uhm…well, try to act like you don't know anything about…that stuff, okay? At least for right now."

"…Noishe-"

"Gotta go! He'll might you by the second storage building! Do you know where that is-?"

"No-"

"You do, okay, I'll talk to you later!"

Noishe zipped out the door before it had even opened fully, leaving Lloyd staring after him.

"Great," he groaned, "What time is it anyway? I can never tell in this damn place, it's not like it ever changes…"

He got dressed and headed outside again, seeing no sign of life except for the angels-…okay, so he saw no sign of life. No trace of Noishe, Kratos, Yuan, or even the Sages. The second storage building, right? Okay, did he know where that was? Uhm…well, he didn't know, but he was sure that…the other…him…knew.

"…This is so weird," he groaned.

Okay, how had he found everything before? He just wanted to find it and his body knew where it was, and he had managed to find the training ground yesterday after all. He'd just start walking and see where his feet would take him. Storage building two, storage building two, where…?

He came to a fork in the path and hesitated just a second before he turned right, heading down a street he was sure he hadn't seen in his real reality. Luckily, it wasn't like anyone was around to notice him looking lost, it wasn't like the angels cared. Then again, he could probably just ask one of them where it was, if anyone was going to get suspicious of him it sure as hell wasn't those mindless drones. He mused it a moment more before he found himself taking a left this time, continuing on his way. Well, his feet knew where he was going at least, and he didn't see anything that looked quite like a storage building yet. Who was it he was supposed to meet, anyway? Would it really have killed Noishe to have given him a hint-?

"Yo! Bud!"

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh no…" he muttered, closing his eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Lloyd turned to his side as he saw a familiar red-haired pink-wearing swordsman walk over to him, a cheesy grin on his face. Oh yeah, he had heard Kratos and Yuan mention Zelos, and he had been involved with Cruxis for a long time in his reality anyway…this shouldn't be too shocking then, he guess.

"Hi, Zelos," he sighed a bit, but managed a small smile nonetheless.

"Huh?" Zelos blinked, his eyes narrowing. "Bud, you feeling all right? You look a bit tired or stressed or something…"

Crap, he was already onto him.

"What-? No, I'm just-" he began. Trying not to sound panicked.

"Oh I get it! Nervous about your first job and all, eh?" he grinned again.

Lloyd stiffened as Zelos put an arm around his shoulders, grinning and pulling him close to his side.

"Hey, hey! Don't worry about it! I'm sure you'll do fine, after all, I the Great Zelos Wilder have trained with you myself," he smirked, taking a moment to bask in his self-imagined glory.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Lloyd asked, slowly trying to inch away from his over-the-top friend.

"Me? Oh y'know, just came in to check up with the boss," Zelos shrugged, releasing the younger male, "Figured I'd come and see you, since you're gonna be gone for a while with the journey and all."

"Oh…well-"

"Now that hottie Desian-lady friend of yours isn't around, is she?" the man grinned again. "The one with the brat brother- oh yeah, he's your friend and all, but is she around? I haven't seen her in a while."

"You mean Raine?" Lloyd tried not to sigh.

"Yup! Best looking half-elf chick I've ever seen!" he sighed dreamily, staring off into space. "Sure Lady Pronyma's decent eye-candy but she's a bit too easy, if you know what I mean, Bud."

Lloyd stared at him.

"Did I snap your brain again?" Zelos smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Heh heh, sorry Bud, I know how that freaks the hell out of you, I just couldn't resist."

Well, Zelos didn't seem too much different at least. Still, he wondered what he should say to him, the red-head was always sharper than he let on. If he said something wrong he could have Zelos on his case too, that and since he was working for Yuan too, he didn't know if Zelos was planning against him or even the Sages. It felt horrible, really, to be in this situation. These people were his friends, but he really couldn't trust any of them- or…that was maybe they shouldn't be trusting him…

"So, Bud, are we going or what?" Zelos asked.

"Huh-?" he said, snapping out of his daze.

"Well I told you next time I stopped by we'd go down to Tethe'alla for a bit," Zelos shrugged, "You always get bored up here and all, and I'm sure your old man won't mind if you ask him, right?"

"Uh-"

"Great! Go get your stuff! The hunnies are waiting for us!"

…Okay so maybe he couldn't trust him fully or anything, but at least he still felt like the same old Zelos…

**I'm sorry if that was a bit short..**

**Zelos: Huzzah! I make my entrance! :D I'm here my hunnies! You may rejoice!**

**Me:…Review if you want-**

**Zelos: Shower me with affection my hunnies! Let me know I'm loved! 3**

**Me:….sigh) You're hard to put up with sometimes you know…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Mkay then, so let's see if I can manage to update a couple stories over break.**

**Zelos: Even if you fail, I'll always be here for you hunny ;)**

**Me: That's what I'm afraid of. I own nothing.**

**Zelos:…how cruel T.T**

"Are you sure this is okay with my dad?"

"Of course it is, bud! Have I ever led you astray before?"

There was a silence when Lloyd and Noishe simply looked at Zelos, their eyes half-lidded in irritation but they remained stoic besides. The red-head pouted and rubbed the back of his neck, sighing.

"All right, all right fine," he shrugged, "so I have, but really, it'll be fun, and your family pet is here and all-"

"Pet?" Noishe's ears jolted up, scolding and showing he slightly more canine teeth. "What an insult! I'm no 'pet', I've been protecting these idiots for years!"

"…Idiots?" Lloyd muttered.

"…You know what I mean," the protozoan sighed.

"No I don't, you just called me a-"

"Can we just drop it already? That was so long ago."

"It wasn't even a minute!" Lloyd scowled.

"Woah woah, bud, mutt, let's all calm down," Zelos grinned, putting an arm around both of his 'buddies', "I brought you hear so my bud can chillax a bit before he goes on his big mission; so let's all try to have some fun huh?"

Lloyd sighed and looked around, feeling slight gratitude to the fact that Meltokio looked exactly the same as it had been the last time he had been there. The busy streets thrived as they always had in the prospering world and Lloyd found it unnerving after coming right from the soulless city of the damned that called itself the realm of angels.

"So what exactly did you have in mind, huh?" Lloyd asked warily, eying Zelos.

"Well I have some nice hunnies I could introduce you to-"

"Look if we just came here so you could pick up chicks then I'm just going to leave," Lloyd sighed, rubbing his face.

"Yeah no kidding," Noishe whined, "I'd rather get something to eat."

"That sounds good," Lloyd muttered, eying the restaurants.

"Are you kidding? All you guys ever do is eat!" Zelos sighed. "I mean I guess that's understandable for a mutt, but what about you, bud? There's a lot of lovely ladies that you could score with-"

"Z- Zelos!" he scoffed, feeling his face flush. "Shut up!"

"Okay, okay, geez," Zelos rolled his eyes, "I forget just how much of a kid you still are…you're still scared of the hunnies, huh? Stay scared of them and you won't learn how to get them to you, bud."

Lloyd sighed, rubbing his face.

Why was it he was so much more irritating now-? Wait…actually…he was always like this, wasn't he? Huh…how come he never noticed before?

"Oooooohh, I get it," Zelos smirked, grinning, "You already have your eye on one, is that it?"

Lloyd stiffened.

"W- what-?"

"You're all uppity because you already got a girl," Zelos winked, putting his arm around Lloyd's shoulders, "Is that it? You're just trying to muster up all your machoness for her, eh, bud?"

"Look that's none of your business!" Lloyd snapped a little harsher than he meant to, pushing Zelos away from him.

"All right, all right, I'll let you keep your all important privacy," Zelos smirked, making a shooing motion with his hand.

Why was he so worked up anyway? He didn't have a - …well…okay maybe Colette. …Maybe.

Surprisingly nothing much interested happened over the course of their little excursion. At all. In fact, Lloyd would almost be feeling bored if it weren't for how high-strung and wary he was over the entire situation as it stood. Nonetheless, to feel actual sort of relief upon plopping onto the bed in 'his' room in Welgaia was a little bit shocking. He didn't want to feel at ease here, in this…dead…place…

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was home, how long ago had it been since he'd been home? He'd been there right before they reunited the worlds, yet it felt like it was a whole other life ago- …then again…maybe it kind of was.

He was tired…he was so tired of everything. Just when he thought he could finally get away from it all, then more hit the fan. No. Don't bother thinking about it right now. There was nothing he could do about it right now, besides, as tired as he was he wouldn't be able to think of anything worth thinking of. For now just shut his eyes, try to be calm, just let himself relax a little bit…and leave the worrying for when things finally were set in motion .

* * *

"I think we should hurry , Dad," Lloyd frowned, glancing up at his father.

"Why are you in such a rush, Lloyd?" Kratos glanced down at him, one eyebrow raised slightly. "I realize you must be eager to begin but if you expend all your energy before we even arrive then you'll be in no state to fight."

"But what if something happens? What if Renegades attack?" he said, nervously glancing up at his father and then over at Noishe, who frown a bit.

"We'll get there before anything happens," Kratos frowned, "But I suppose we could quicken our pace a bit…"

"Can't we just fly there?"

"What? And leave me?" Noishe's ears jolted up. "You wouldn't!"

"Noishe we all know you're very capable of running fast as we fly," Kratos sighed.

"But there are monsters!"

"Don't you just run from them anyway?" Lloyd asked.

"You're not helping!" the protozoan whined.

"We'll move more quickly then, pick up the pace, Lloyd," he said.

"But you just said I'd get tired-"

"We're not flying, Lloyd," he said flatly.

Lloyd growled a bit but quickened his pace to keep up with his father, who had noticeably increased his walking speed.

"Why couldn't we have just warped right there? Instead of so far away?"

"I can only assume the transporter malfunctioned."

"Then why don't we just warp there ourselves? You can warp right? Can't you just- I dunno, take us too and- why is Noishe coming anyway?"

"I'm going to fight," he chirped.

Lloyd stopped.

"What?" he said, turning to stare at his former 'dog'.

"Lloyd?" Kratos stopped as well, glancing over at his son and eying him warily.

"Noishe said he's going to fight-"

"Of course he is," Kratos frowned, "why did you think he came?"

"You wanted me to watch Lloyd and make sure he didn't get hurt," Noishe chirped, smirking slightly.

Kratos grunted; Lloyd flinched a bit but forced himself to ignore that, trying to figure out what the hell they meant by the biggest coward he knew fighting-

"Well I'm not going to fight monsters of course, silly," Noishe laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, "They scare me, but I can be pretty helpful with bandits or Renegades…anything that's not a monster."

"Lloyd, is something wrong?" Kratos frowned, scanning his son again. "You knew he was going to do this, didn't you?"

"I- I just- must have forgot," he stammered, still staring at his 'dog', "I mean- I guess since he's such a chicken with monsters I assumed he was in any kind of fight."

Huh, that came out a little..harsher than he had meant to…

"You're so mean to me sometimes, Lloyd," Noishe whimpered, his ears drooping down, "But uh…weren't we in a hurry?"

"Right, let's move," Kratos stated curtly, already walking away.

"H- Hey- wait-! Dad!" Lloyd scrambled after hi, surprised at how fast he was.

Noishe could fight? The idea was crazy- and this was HIS Noishe, right? Er…'his' Noishe, the one from his….reality, or whatever, right? If he could fight how come he never fought Desians with them then? All he did was turn tail and run away…

Well, at least he admitted he wasn't going to fight any monsters. Frankly that would have weirded him out- ..that was, weirded him out more than everything else had so far- …except- …no, it wouldn't have, he guessed. In a world where he was in Cruxis, Kratos raised him, the Sages were Desians and Noishe was a human, nothing really seemed that out-there anymore.

Well…at least he hadn't seen anything that'd top that…

Yet….

To his great surprise and relief, when they arrived at the temple, they found it…calm. There was no one outside, no Renegades, no bodies or sign of a struggle…but the light of the oracle was still shining above.

"What-? …Where is everyone?" Lloyd frowned.

"I can only assume the Chosen is in the process of accepting the oracle," his father stated, not stopping to look, "Come along, she must be inside somewhere with the priests."

Lloyd hesitated but followed, barely getting through the door when they found…the priests.

Their bodies, that was…

"Wh- what happened?" Lloyd's eyes widened.

Kratos cursed, scanning the bodies quickly.

"The Renegades must have come in here after all, the Chosen must be deeper inside, hurry," he snapped, racing off down a hallway.

Lloyd quickly followed, his face paled. Colette was in here by herself? With the Renegades? She was going to get killed! He picked up his pace, trying to keep his father in sight when they rounded a corner with a fork, and Lloyd arrived too late to see which way he had gone. He skidded to a halt by a pillar, hesitating a bit, wondering where he had gone-

When he heard something – what-?

Behind-!

He didn't get to turn his head, as a knife was suddenly pressed against his throat.

"Who the hell are you?" a voice behind him hissed. "You don't look like a Desian."

"T- That's because I'm not, look, I came to help the Chosen-"

The knife withdrew and he felt its owner push him forward, huffing a bit.

"Well you're pretty damn late, everyone's already dead," the voice said bitterly.

"I- " he turned, finally looking up the would-be assassin.

His jaw dropped.

The girl sheathing the small blade at the belt on her hip looked up at him, scanning him a moment with bright blue eyes, which were narrowed in suspicion. Her golden hair was devoid of its glow in the darkness, but its color was still evident, pulled into a braid behind her.

"Colette-?" he choked.

"Huh?" she flinched, her eyes widening, staring at him. "Y- You …know me?"

"Uh- well- you're the Chosen right-?"

"But you know my name!" she stared, looking amazed at the prospect. "I didn't-"

She hesitated a moment and then bit her lip, looking away, her face falling.

"Didn't…think anyone knew my name," she finished quietly, barely above a whisper.

He stared at her.

No…what the hell…what had they done to her? What had this place done to her? The Colette he knew would never have been so aggressive, and even if she was upset like that, she would never have voiced it-

"I- I'm sorry about scaring you," she lifted her head, her expression set with a somber determination. "I just thought- look, my grandmother is already up in the higher chamber, I think, we were supposed to go there to meet her. I think she should be safe, I don't think the Desians can get up there…can you help me? Please?"

"I- Of course I will-"

"You found the Chosen One, good," Kratos stated, reappearing in the corridor.

Colette flinched and whipped around, the knife clutched tightly in her hand, brandished before her... until she saw Kratos standing there.

"Who-?"

"C- Calm down, Colette, he's my dad," Lloyd sighed quickly, once again unnerved by her violent actions. "We both came to help, okay?"

"Your dad?" she stared, looking between them. "He doesn't look old enough to be your- …ah, nevermind! Look, if you really came to help me, I need to get to the top floor so I can make sure my grandmother is safe-"

"And to receive the oracle, yes," Kratos nodded, "We'll assist you, Chosen One."

The blond frowned a moment, eying him, then instead turned to Lloyd.

"I know the way, please follow me, okay?" she said a little softer, tilting her head, examining Lloyd. "What was your name?"

"Mine-?" he blinked, still staring at her, the odd way she looked at him, her big blue eyes still inquisitive, but with a touch of something he couldn't place…

"Yes, you know mine, what's yours?"

"I- I'm Lloyd," he said.

"Lloyd?" she snickered, bringing up her hand to stifle a laugh. "I- oh- oh, I'm sorry, sorry about that- pfft, 'Lloyd'- crap! I didn't meant it- sorry! N- Nice to meet you."

Lloyd could only stare at her, stunned.

"Sorry," she giggled, "Funny name…"

"Hmph," Kratos snorted, "We should be hurrying now, I would say."

"Wh-? Oh! Right! Follow me!" she said, turning and racing down a hall.

"Not so fast, Chosen," Kratos frowned as they followed, "Stay with us so we can assist you."

"Then what about you just hurry up?" she snapped back, glaring at him.

Kratos glared, Lloyd flinching again.

"My grandmother's life is at stake! Come on already!" she huffed, turning and running off again.

"A little….feisty, I see," Kratos sighed, rubbing his face.

"Y- yeah…." Lloyd said, at a complete loss for words.

"Yeah, no kidding! She's scary!" Noishe said, popping out of nowhere and nearly giving Lloyd a heart –attack in the process.

"Ah-!"

"Where did you go, Noishe?" Kratos asked, scanning him.

"I ran into a spider," he admitted with a weak chuckle, his ears drooping.

Kratos sighed and continued onward, ignoring his ancient friend.

Lloyd found himself walking around in a numb stupor, as if he was sleepwalking, like this was some insane dream. Then again, he'd been hoping it would be such for a while now, but Colette like that? Colette was never rude like that! Ever! It made his head hurt just to think about it…

"Down here!" Colette called back once she had reached some stairs. "There's something down here that can get us to the top, let's go!"

"Chosen don't go down without us-"

She was already gone.

Kratos sighed deeply and broke into a sprint, hurrying after her and after Noishe poked Lloyd in the ribs, he managed to break from his daze and follow after as well.

It looked just like it had in his own reality, the holes, the golems-

One of which had just appeared behind Colette-

"Col-!" he blurted.

Colette whipped around and quickly rolled out of the way as the golem's fist crashed into the spot she just was, the blonde growling a bit and whipping out her knife, throwing it and breaking one of the golem's crystalline eyes in less than the time it took to blink.

"Wow," Noishe stared, his ears giving a twitch.

Kratos was already involved, launching his own assault against the creature, and Lloyd again had to shake off his stun to run in and assist as well. They defeated the golem quickly enough and it collapsed into a block, Colette standing and wiping her forehead.

"Whew, that wasn't so hard- Ah-!"

Lloyd had never been more relieved to see Colette trip and fall flat on her face.

…That sounded pretty bad now that he thought of it.

"Hey! It went in!" Noishe chirped.

"Ow-" Colette grimaced, pushing herself up.

She froze suddenly, whipping her heard around and staring up at them. There was a moment of silence as her cheeks burned red, stammering as she got to her feet.

"T- that- no one saw that! All right?" she shouted, her face twisting up in her flustered state. "I didn't just trip!"

The three males summed it up with 'do t dot dot'.

"Wh- who the hell is he, anyway?" she pointed, eying Noishe. "Where did he come from?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm Noishe," he chuckled nervously, "I'd gotten separated earlier…sorry I didn't introduce myself but you were kinda in a hurry and all-"

"Okay , nice to meet you and all but can we hurry up?" she frowned, looking around with a hint of desperation.

"Chosen One, calm down," Kratos stated, frowning, "If you panic you won't be any good to your grandmother or yourself, take a deep breathe."

"Don't' tell me what to do you-!"

"Colette," Lloyd said, frowning, "…It's okay, okay? We'll…we'll make sure we save her."

The blonde flinched and looked at him, staring at him another moment. Lloyd fidgeted under her gaze and relaxed a bit when she closed her eyes, taking slow, deep breathes.

"I- I…yes," she nodded, opening her eyes a bit, "I- I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, I just- I just…"

"You're under a lot of stress, it's understandable, but it serves no purpose to lose control like that, Chosen One," Kratos stated.

She nodded a bit, scanning them and then looking around once more.

"Ah! There's another one- oh! We have to knock them into these holes, right?" she frowned, looking around.

"Looks like it," Noishe nodded, "there's a path down there it seems."

"Right! Let's go kill that other one then!" she said, dashing off again.

Kratos groaned loudly, but Lloyd was already following her, his eyes locked on her back, at the swinging braid.

No…there was still…she was still Colette. It was only glimpses but…no it was more than that, he'd just been so shocked by the changes he hadn't really noticed everything about her that was still…her. She was being rude, yeah, but she did keep apologizing for everything at least; and really…it was understandable that she'd be worked up like this.

…it was …sort of hot when she used that knife too-

He quickly shook the thought off, forcing himself to focus on the fight.

They eventually managed to get the sorcerer's ring and they quickly headed up to the sealed area, Colette leading the way, seeing as though nobody else knew the way- …as far as she knew, at any rate. They had just approached the barrier when Kratos drew his sword, turning as a squad of Renegades rushed forward.

But he was beaten to it, as a blur of white and green had rushed over and was currently slamming some grunt into a pillar, snapping a few necks and delivering and impressive flurry of kicks, taking out several of the men before Kratos had gotten to his first.

Lloyd stared again.

…Noishe…really could…fight…

...He wondered just how much more of this he could take before his brain snapped.

**It is uppddattteeeeddd…..(Sleeps)**

**Hope you liked….**


End file.
